#callum musings hour

[swifty-fox]

Hmm I was thinking about callum turner and I think it's interesting how people can be around him, like he's obviously 6'2 and huge he's also very blunt (not in a rude way but he says what he says) direct and charming and a lot of the men he's worked with really seem to have a particualr respect for him if that's the right word, I don't know a lot psychologically about these things but it does seem that's he has a very tangible presence and not saying leader (cause that's infantalising to other men and a strange thing to say and makes me feel like I'mwriting a/b/o) but I do feel as though people gravitate to and around him really easily or get stunned by him a bit because he's like...I don't know an archetype of 'man' like when I think 'man' he fits that description in a very specific way, like how Tom Hardy does or idirs Elba, rough edges and openness and burlishness and all and he's very unapologetically himself, am I making sense 😭😭

LMAOOO No no I get you.

He's effortlessly masculine in a way that is distinctly unthreatening which is...deeply attractive. He's got incredibly friendly and open body language in every interview, he's leaning in he's engaged he's smiling, he's friendly. He's talking to you like a friend because the whole world is his friend. That's the vibes he gives off he's just a Fun Guy To Be Around.

He's charismatic as fuck but he also doesn't let it get in the way of him being thoughtful about things. He's also not afraid to be awkward and weird and laugh at himself. He's confident without it coming off as obnoxious

But he also knows he's handsome and there's a lot of attraction to be felt about someone who Knows they look good. I dunno he just seems like a great guy to be buddies with. I wanna take him to a hockey game

[jelzorz]

You don’t know how long i’ve been waiting for you to say that (i do—and it’s been about 20 months lmao)

Continuation of ia67? Please? 🥺

166.

do you know how far I had to scroll for this @captainjamba??? Rest of the series linked here for convenience

The Katolis Symphonic Orchestra has a Christmas concert every year. Usually it's all the classic stuff: arrangements of Silent Night, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas that are easily recognisable and never fail, and it's, y'know, fun and all but the classics are getting a bit too classic, even for Callum. Opeli is a bit like that as a conductor: straight laced and maybe a bit too serious, which is why this year's set list is such a shock when it's sent out to him that afternoon.

It's Wednesday, and Barius' cafe is packed given it's the awkward time of two PM. It's been, what, almost two years since that Valentine's Day he came here with Rayla after rehearsal, and busy rehearsal schedules aside, it's been a pretty good two years. Rayla disappears in the early mornings for rehearsals at the studio, and Callum isn't home until nine on some nights because so many of his own rehearsals are after work (the KSO is great, but it doesn't quite manage all the bills), but they've made it work, and Callum would rather work around the weird hours than not be with her at all.

This life suits them. He hopes it will for a while yet.

The bell at the cafe door rings, and Callum looks up and grins when he spots Rayla in the doorway brushing snow off her coat. He stands as she edges her way through the crowd towards him. "Hey," he greets brightly, leaning over the table for a kiss. "How was your day?"

Rayla grimaces. "Eh."

"That bad?"

She pauses. The way her brow furrows over her eyes says it all.

Callum frowns. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I—" Rayla presses her lips together and takes a breath. "If I had to move, would you move with me?"

There's a pause. A long pause. Callum studies her over the menu on the fake-marble tabletop. "Would you want me to move with you?"

"I—" Rayla sighs and fiddles with a napkin. "I couldn't ask you to," she says quietly. "Things are going so well with the KSO, and you're sharing first chair with Claudia now, and things are good here, so I wouldn't—couldn't ask you to leave all of that behind for me, but..." She blinks like she wants to cry. "The director of Spire Ballet called me today. They've got an opening for a principal, and they want—they want me to come and audition."

"What?" Callum's lips twitch upwards. "Rayla that's amazing!"

"But I'd have to leave—"

"And I'd go with you," says Callum firmly. "No question about it. No doubt in my mind. I'd go with you if you wanted it."

"But—the KSO," says Rayla. "All your friends and family, your brother, how could I ask you to—"

"You aren't asking me," says Callum. "They don't need me. They've got Claudia. And you—" He reaches for her hands across the table and presses her knuckles against his lips. "I'd be a shit violinist without my muse."

That draws a laugh out of her, and Callum grins, pleased he managed it. "Callum..."

"I'd go with you," he says again. "Always. Wherever you went—as long as you want me along."

Another pause. Rayla blinks and lets herself smile a little more genuinely. "Really?"

"Really."

Rayla swallows and grips his hand tighter. "It's just an audition for now. I just..."

"You don't have to explain," he says. "I can see how much you want this. You deserve it. And if we have to move, we will. Okay?"

"Okay." Rayla grins at him at last, the first hints of excitement lighting her eyes. Callum's heart warms at the sight of it, which only strengthens his resolve. "Sorry," she adds. "I didn't mean to ambush you like that. It's... a bit of a shake-up, y'know?"

"Oh I know," chuckles Callum. "KSO's getting one too. Look at our setlist." He slides his phone over to her to let her see, and Rayla barks out a laugh.

"Sleigh Ride?" She squawks. "The ridiculous one with the horsey-trumpet at the end? That Sleigh Ride? That's not Opeli's style, what's gotten into her?"

"I dunno," says Callum with a laugh. "Maybe it's just a good time for change."

Rayla grins and slides his phone back. "Maybe so."

[squish36-writes-and-draws]

12 November: Unraveling

Word count: 579

TW: Swearing, (hyperbolic) self-harm and/or gore, Keefe being allosexual

General Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @faggot-friday @kamikothe1and0nly @nyxpixels @florida-preposterously

@poppinspop @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @corruption-exe @rusted-phone-calls

@when-wax-wings-melt @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125 @hi-imgrapes

@callum-hunt-is-bisexual @callas-pancake-tree @hi-my-name-is-awesome @katniss-elizabeth-chase @sillyguy-supreme

@void-kill @thefoxysnake

Unraveling Project Specific Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed/upgraded): @cutebisexualmess @crippling-pages @daizythegreat @sophiefostersno1stan @iggydancebreak

@theleopardstalker @you-will-meet-your-downfall @multi-fandom-lunatic

On Ao3 or below the cut!

First (3 November) / Previous / Next

Keefe Sencen's Journal

    I had a surprisingly not shit day. I mean, I did get threatened by a guy with a pair of very dangerous looking garden shears, but, honestly, that’s nothing compared to the last few days. I’m trying to not think about those last few days and it really isn’t working, so I’ve taken to hyperfocusing on the previously mentioned garden shears incident. 

    Apparently I scared him by hiding in the bushes trying not to get found because it’s hard to hide when you didn’t bring an obscurer and, as discussed many times before, I don’t have any fucking money. 

    So, you know, like any rational person, he started yelling at me and I thought for a second that my polyglot thing was broken but it just turns out that it’s a processing speed limitation as a result of barely sleeping for the past week and a half. 

    As I was blinking away the exhaustion, I found myself looking at his eyebrows, the angry crease accentuated as they move up and down while ye yells at me and —

    Fuck. 

    It’s kind of a great wonder of the world that I hadn't figured this out yet. I am a buffoon of the highest order. No one has ever or will ever buffoon more than I have. It’s almost like a world record, except bad. 

    Get me a shamkniv. I need to remove my eyeballs. I’m not doing this again.     

    If you haven’t guessed, dear journal, I may have gotten deeply distracted by another person’s existence once again, and, as such, I cannot fucking deal with this anymore. All logical options point to me just fucking off to another city, but I’m just going to do it again, aren’t I? 

    This is the neverending cycle that I’m going to throw myself into. Not even a full forty-eight hours in a new city and I’m already doodling in the margins about a guy who, statistically, I’m never going to see again. And even if I do, that’s not happening. I’m not dragging anyone else into this mess. 

    Who am I fucking kidding? Either I’m going to leave or I’m going to fuck up. Those are the two options. There is no secret third choice where no one gets hurt. 

Later: I should probably also muse poetic about the fact that he’s, you know, a guy and how the elves try to pretend like that whole thing doesn’t exist, but we all know what’s going on behind closed doors with the councillors. Also Alden and Quinlin. They think they’re so clever, but, dear stars, they are so completely and absolutely wrong. I don’t think Fitz knows though. That’s going to be a bit of a revelation if he ever finds that one out. 

    While we’re talking about Fitz, of course I have to reflect on how our friendship has existed over the last insert-number-of-years-here. And, uh, well, shit. Fitz is hot. How dare he? If I ever go back to the Lost Cities and then get rejected by Sophie, I’ll gladly get rejected to the oort cloud by Fitz. 

    He’d totally fucking murder me while directly quoting the laws governing the Matchmakers. Although, that does sound kinda hot too.

    Who said that—? 

    Maybe I need to turn off my brain for a bit. That sounds nice. Just give it a nice little bath in cerebrospinal fluid. I’m going to try to get some sleep. It’s not going to work, but it’s worth trying, right? 

[deathvisited]

[ wake ] for one muse to wake up to the other at the side of their hospital bed - kass

sebastian had been doing his best, he'd tried again and again to stop her from indulging in her addiction but there was only so much he could do. he couldn't lock her away forever and with callum being unable to say no to her..... they were here again. he sat beside the beside, hands clasped in front of him. he knew she was mad at him, probably hated him, but he'd sent both alec and callum home. they weren't good for her right now, neither of them able to hold their ground quite as well as he could, and hell he even failed. this time had been particularly bad and now.... he bent his head and prayed.

he couldn't lose her, he couldn't deal with the idea of her never waking up again. it was obvious she wasn't able to care about herself enough not to destroy herself and she was so angry with him for being gone. he could completely understand that, to a point, but there was some kind of issue with her not understanding that just because he wasn't here didn't mean he didn't care. he did, far too much, and if he was around he'd thought that it was worse off for her. his life was dangerous and the people he dealt with could hurt her. staying away was better for her, or so he'd thought. he hadn't given her the choice to make the decision for herself and that was wrong, he supposed.

he didn't believe in god but he'd start as long as she got better. they'd said she could have lasting damage from the seizure this time but he had to believe that she'd be fine, that she'd see the seriousness of it this time. he had to.

he had never felt so fucking lost, and when she stirred hours later his eyes were bloodshot from unshed tears, he'd talked to his mom and ted and they were coming because clearly everything he'd been saying hadn't been working and he needed back up. ted was furious at him for letting this happen --- as if kassy wasn't her own person and he could control her completely --- and his mother was beyond worried. "hey," he whispered, his voice quiet as her eyes fluttered open and he sucked in a breath. confusion coated her expression and as he held his breath he hoped for her to yell at him. "where am i?" the words were softly spoken and her voice hoarse with disuse. he rose to grab her some water coming back with it and a straw before answering. "the hospital," he didn't judge her for her addiction, he was just trying to understand why.

he knew kassy had her own things going on, that she'd indicated she didn't feel happy throughout the years, but he'd never realized she was medicating with pills and blow and now...... he hoped it wasn't too late. "i found you in the bathroom," he murmured. just like he had last time, she'd been sick on herself while she was OD'ing and he'd never been so scared in his life. his kassy was neat and tidy and always well put together but when she got like that..... it was terrifying. "how are you feeling?" was she going to kick him out or let him stay? he hadn't been here when she needed him but he hoped he'd proven he wasn't going anywhere.

@thewholecrew

[invcntions]

— INVCNTIONS. indie, semi - selective ( and all over the place activity ) multi - muse rp blog. penned by casey, 27, she / her, gmt.

guidelines. wanted plots. muses. wanted opposites. starters.

psa: i've been on tumblr on and off for forever, 10+ years, and i truly mean it when i say things are chilled. drop threads, have hundreds of threads, yell with me till the early hours, send 500 memes. it's literally all good and encouraged.

up to date MUSES under the cut

THE CITY DWELLERS: finley 'finn' spencer-hastings - medical student, homosexual - fc: nick robinson andrew ‘ryder’ ellion - customer relations executive in his family business, pansexual - fc: thomas doherty  jaiden walker - artist (trust fund baby), pansexual - fc: archie renaux  banks donovan - heir to a luxury jewelry empire, homosexual - fc: mike faist lucas bradshaw - criminal defense lawyer, bisexual - fc: lucien laviscount charlie arlington - detective, homosexual - fc: matt bomber THE FIGHTERS: vance do luca - family leads a branch of an organized crime syndicate, pansexual - fc: adman dimarco radi fischer - gang member/underground boxer, bisexual - fc: emilio sakraya nathaniel 'nate' carrington - motel receptionist, pansexual - fc: aron piper THE SUPERNATURALS: caleb callaway - private investigator, vampire (verse dependent), homosexual - fc: adam brody ada harris - graphic designer, vampire (verse dependent), homosexual - fc: ashley moore juke prescott  -  bartender, vampire (verse dependent), bisexual- fc: drew starkey cooper prescott - freelance journalist/vampire hunter (verse dependent), bisexual - fc: callum turner THE RUNAWAYS: ashton prescott - app developer/programmer, addict, pansexual, fc: jack lowden sasha jane jones - barista and college student, fashion major, homosexual (closeted) - fc: chase sui wonders archibald 'archie' hart - environmental activist and barista, pansexual - fc: rudy pankow lincoln chandler - card-counter, gambler and occasional con-man, bisexual - fc: chase stokes koa connors - bartender, pansexual - fc: thomas weatherall ethan teller-watson - music student/pianist, pansexual - fc: alessandro bedetti / tom holland (previous)

SECONDARY / TEST MUSES

leo price - f1 driver, pansexual - fc: josh o'connor orlando montgomery - gang leader, bisexual - fc: glen powell oscar nilsson - pansexual - fc: adrian öjvindsson

[loveofcharacters]

open starter: anyone (female if romantic) pick a muse: Beau, Callum, Conrad, Oliver, Samuel, Travis, Wesley plot: - Your Muse is new in their career, and is spending every hour outside of work studying/researching/memorizing. My muse was called by your muse's supervisor/boss/friend because you're clearly exhausted and when they sent you home the first two times, they later found you with your head in a book instead of going home.

"Thank you," he sighed as he went in the direction of where they were last found. He sore their dedication was going make them damn good at their job, though he could see that they might very well go insane before they even get any recognition. "Hey," he spoke, realizing his presence is very much out of pocket. "I got a call to come get you, since you're supposed to be at home resting. That's usually what they expect when they send you home."

[withinkandquill]

wake up! meme (for any muse you want)

Callum’s fingers curl tightly around the steering wheels, eyes narrowing as he strains to see the lines of the road through the torrential downpour and the dark cloak of the night. The radio plays low in the background, so low he cannot make out what song it is, but even so, it bothers him. And yet he doesn’t dare take a hand off the wheel to silence it.

“Lex,” he says, voice a strained murmur, “Can you turn the radio off, please?”

From the corner of his eye, he sees a blurred version of her profile. She watches the storm from the passenger window but she turns towards him when he speaks. Her hand rests on her belly as it has the last seven months, protective of the baby girl growing inside her.

“Yeah,” she murmurs just as softly. “Should we pull over? Wait it out?”

“No. Not on these curves. It’s probably safer to keep going.”

He can tell she’s nervous by the way she traces circles into the fabric of her dress, but she nods. She trusts him fully. Maybe that’s her mistake.

Lights shine in the distance, moving too fast. His finger’s grip the wheel tighter, his chest squeezes, but there’s no where to go, and then-

———

Callum wakes with a start to Lexi’s…no…Isabelle’s voice. Her gentle touch on his arm. He sits up too fast, too disoriented to notice if he startles her. He only notices one thing. Absence. A weight missing from his chest.

Emma.

He had been holding her, trying to get her to sleep. She cried so much lately. Colic, they said. It would pass, they said. She finally fell asleep after two hours of screaming, and so did he, too scared to move her, but now…

His heart hammers in his chest, his head whipping around to look on the floor, between the cushions. A small squeak of a whine sounds and he follows it to her swing. She’s still asleep, stirring just a little and settling back down. His lungs heave and release a heavy sigh. His eyes meet Isabelle’s, the panic in them fading.

“What…” Callum inhales deeply in the pause, starts again. “What time is it?”

[notoriouseliterp]

𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐒:

The following muses haven't shown followed activity guidelines for a period of 7 days (can be reclaimed within 24 hours):

-

The following muses have either been inactive for 8+ days or have not been active within 48 hours since joining (must reapply):

Andrew Garfield *players request

Emma D'arcy *players request

Milly Alcock *players request

Sabrina Carpenter *players request

Ryan Reynolds*players request

Natalie Portman *never posted

Lily-Rose Depp

Callum Turner

Florence Pugh

Tom Holland *not following semi-hiatus guidelines

SZA

𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆:

The following muses have shown inactivity for 4+ days, inconsistency, or have not replied to at least 2 starters without prior notice to the main.

Kelsea Ballerini *inconsistent

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Lauren Jauregui

Odessa A'zion *bubble rping

Tom Glynn-Carney

[guildfm]

      the   following   has   been   reserved   for   the   next   twenty   four   hours.   if   you   need   an   extension,   please   do   not   hesitate   to   contact   the   main!

muse g.

the   following   reserves   have   now   expired:

callum   turner.

muse   n.

[corneliastreethq]



.*･｡ﾟ ━ accepted ! welcome to cornelia street , callum reilly . please sign and return your lease within 24 hours. oliver jackson-cohen and muse b in call it what you want are now taken !

.*･｡ﾟ ━ ( oliver jackson-cohen / cismale / he/him ) i think i just saw��CALLUM REILLY on the subway.  the 33 year old ATTORNEY has been living on cornelia street for TWO YEARS. callum’s friends know pronoun to be warm , charismatic , & insightful, but he has a reputation on cornelia street for being guarded , stubborn & brooding . when i see callum, i can’t help but think of post-it notes littered across a desk , dreams in a draw shut by the weight of expectation, half-filled moleskins & red wine by firelight !  in  fact , i sometimes i think i hear CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT when he walks by! ( kay / 26 / she/her / est ) 

[scinglives]

Anika gave a little noise as he pulled her into his lap, then she got herself situated more comfortably and looped her arms around him. She played with the soft fabric of his shirt as she looked up at him. “It would have been amazing, yeah.” she admitted. “But I’m thinking, what if we do it for Christmas? Make a big vacation out of it? They have the holiday themes at the parks, too.” She stifled a little yawn, feeling the sleepiness begin to creep in, but ignored it. She’d never been to Disneyland either, and the more she thought about it the more she wanted to go as well. Hell, she’d buy them all tickets and leave tomorrow if she could. “I don’t care if the beach is an hour away, that can make for a fun little road trip… What do you think?” She looked up at him, an excited, albeit tired expression on her face.

"Christmas could be nice...." He mused for a moment, his arms wrapped around Anika as he looked in to her eyes. "We could go just before the holidays? See it all decorated, and come home for Christmas?" He suggested, Callum still wanted Christmas at home, that's all he wanted. He could remember being a kid and getting excited about running downstairs to the presents, he could only remember a couple of them before his parents died.

"I like it. A bit of winter sun would be nice for all of us. When we want a bit of a break from Disney we can take a little road trip to the beach for a few days." He smiled and pressed soft kisses against her lips. "It sounds perfect, reckon we should leave at a surprise for her?"

[swifty-fox]

No disrespect to Austin because 6ft is a good height, but sometimes (and I think it's cause callums also broad as well as being 6'2) their height difference looks hilarious, like that one with them on set you just reblogged or there's that other one where Austin looks freezing and callum looks like a giant and Austin looks 5 '4 😭😭😭

LITERALLY LOL like hes got no business looking that small when he's Not. Callum is a fucking menace, I think about the drew barrymore interview on the daily.

honorable mention to them on This Morning

He's Just a Big Man

[zuppizup]

Into the light

Continued from A Path of Darkness

She turns her face into the cave floor, unable to watch. She cannot bear to have the anger and hatred on his face be the last thing she sees.

Her breath catches in her throat as she prepares for the pain, hoping it’s over quickly at least.

And then... nothing.

No movement. No disembodied voice.

Not even breathing…

“Rayla?”

His voice sounds shaky, scared but it is his voice.

She looks at him, wincing to find his eyes still glowing.

It almost looks like he's fighting himself. The hand clutching the dagger is shaking, muscles straining around the metal.

“I'm here, Callum.” She whispers, not daring to hope.

The glow quickly fades from his eyes as he slumps a little. Shaking himself, he looks at the knife poised over her heart, recoiling in revulsion and throwing it across the cave.

He looks back at her, breath catching as he reaches for her cheek. He doesn’t touch her though, his face crumpling as he sobs.

“It’s okay, Callum.” She flexes her wrists, trying to alert him to the fact he still has her pinned.

“I’m sorry!” He gasps, pulling his hands back as he begins to shake.

“It’s okay.” Finally free, she reaches for him. “It wasn’t you.”

He collapses against her, face buried in her shoulder as he shakes violently. “I hurt you. Oh Sources, Rayla, I almost-”

His breath catches in his throat and she thinks he might almost be sick.

“You didn’t, Callum.” She wraps her arms around him, holding him close. “It wasn’t you.”

He doesn’t respond other than to continue to cry. Her heart aches hearing him. She wants nothing but to console him but there’s still danger lurking here.

They can’t afford to fall apart. Not yet.

“Callum,” she speaks soft but firm. “It’s not safe here.” Putting her hands on his shoulders, she urges him up. “We have to leave.”

Avoiding eye contact, he nods, eyes wandering around the dark cave. The runes they activated glow faintly, as if burned out.

He sits back on his rear as she gets to her feet.

“Come on.” She offers him her hand. “We don’t have time to waste-”

“I can’t come with you.” His voice is quiet but it cuts through her all the same.

“What?” She crouches down before him, reaching for his hand. “Callum-”

He pulls back, looking disgusted. “It’s not safe.” He whimpers. “I’m not safe. You can’t be around me.

“I’m not leaving you!” She reaches for his hand and attempts to pull him to his feet.

He resists, shaking his head. “I’m sorry about everything... about before... but I can’t be around you, Rayla. Not after what I just did.”

Tears sting her eyes as she kneels before him, his hand firmly grasped in hers. “You didn’t do anything, Callum. That wasn’t you. And you regained control. You’re stronger than whatever that was.”

“I hurt you.” His eyes dart to her face and the bruise she assumes is already forming on her pale skin. “I almost killed you!”

“But... but...” She searches for the right words, for a way to convince him. “I can’t leave you, Callum. Not... not again.” She sniffs, resisting the urge to wipe the tears from her face. “We’re stronger together… We always were.”

He looks at her like he wants to believe her. “I don’t want to hurt you. Not again.”

“You won’t.” She needs him to believe her. She doesn’t know how but she won’t let... whatever that was touch him again. “I’m going to keep you safe. I promise.”

He takes a shaky breath, eyes fixed on hers. “We’ll keep each other safe.”

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Were you the person who had a post about "what if Rayla had died on the mission and Runaan had lived"? I was thinking about that... is there a possible scenario where Rayla had escaped with the egg and princes the same way as in canon, but Runaan and the other assassins had survived and now believed Rayla was dead and both somehow missed each other? The angst possibilities from Runaan's end, at least until he got back to Silvergrove, but even then he would angst over having 'abandoned' Rayla...

You know, I don't remember making a post like that, but I can tell it's an angst I could get behind, so maybe I did?

Fam, I love a good honest misunderstanding, oh man, those are great! Very tasty stuff. So let's see here... oh gosh this really took off, huh? Yas.

________________________

"Runaan, please," Rayla begged, planting herself between her mentor and her new allies the human princes, "this is a miracle, a chance for peace."

"No," came a smug, raspy voice from behind her, "it's not."

Rayla whirled in surprise. How had the dark mage gotten free of her manacle so quickly?

Claudia stood beside Callum, smirking confidently and holding the primal stone she'd just stolen back from him. But her smirk dropped at the sound of Runaan's bowstring. A green-fletched arrow whispered past Rayla's shoulder, headed for the dark mage's heart. Rayla's eyes widened as she realized she was about to watch her first human die.

"No!" Callum held his sketchbook in front of Claudia's chest. Runaan's arrow punched through it with a heavy thunk. Claudia, Callum, and Rayla stared at its poison-dipped broadhead in shock. The deadly metal fell just short of cutting through Claudia's tunic.

Rayla spun back to face the older assassin. "Runaan, wait-" But he was already loosing another arrow. Rayla cut it out of the air.

"Callum!" Ezran called plaintively. Bait, perched in his hair, croaked too.

"Get out of here," Rayla told the humans. "And keep that egg safe." She spared Claudia a single glare.

Runaan began striding closer, and he whipped another arrow from his quiver and nocked it. Rayla knew he'd loose that last arrow before he got close enough to use his swords instead. And that, she did not want to see at any distance. Not when so much else was at stake!

"That's far enough, elf," Claudia called threateningly. She held up the primal stone and began to chant in Ancient Draconic. The air started to crackle with lightning.

"Claudia, wait!" Callum shouted. He grabbed her wrist again, but this time, the primal stone wobbled and fell as they both scrabbled for control of it. Rayla gasped, watching it tumble. Neither of them were going to be able to catch it. She suddenly wasn't sure she wanted to, either. She shot Runaan a regretful, pleading look.

Runaan's arrow loosed. With everyone in motion, Rayla couldn't be sure if Callum would be in his line of fire when it arrived. She folded her swords and turned her back on her mentor, squeezed her eyes shut, and stepped into its path.

"Rayla!" Runaan's voice cracked the air like a whip.

"Rayla, look out!" Ezran shouted.

The primal stone hit the stone walkway and shattered.

The first massive gust of wind struck Rayla and tumbled her just as Runaan's arrow found its mark. With a cry of surprise, Rayla rolled across the high stone walkway, flanked by Claudia, Callum, and Ezran, who was somehow still holding onto the egg. Rayla thumped against the parapet and scrabbled for a grip against one of its crenellated edges, feeling her feet kicking in midair while a screeching gale scattered everyone and everything that had been on the castle roof a moment ago.

Runaan stood on the other side of the walkway, barely on his feet as he braced against the wind. His ponytail whipped like an angry snake, but his face was full of pain and alarm. "Rayla!" he shouted.

"Runaan..." Why was her voice so weak? Shouldn't she want his help?

Crumpled against the crenellated wall below Rayla's tenacious grip, Callum, Claudia, Ezran and Bait huddled together for dear life.

"Rayla, this isn't what I wanted!" Runaan shouted over the wind. He tried to stagger toward her through the strongest of the winds, but they only shoved him back against the far parapet.

"Claudia, help her!" Callum called.

But Claudia was distracted by the alarming amount of rainbow-hued magic that had begun crackling off the egg of the Dragon Prince. "What's happening?" she blurted.

"Help..." Rayla called.

"Fine, I'll help her, then!" Callum stood in the storm and reached for Rayla's hands.

Another arrow zipped past, whirling madly off target in the howling wind. Callum flinched back, then grasped Rayla's hands firmly. "I've got you!"

"And I've got him!" Claudia said. She pulled a glowing orange thing from her bag and started chanting, and she squished the orange shape until it oozed meatily between her fingers. Its gory remains caught fire, quickly swelling to a fervent blue heat that made the princes flinch away.

"No!" Rayla's grip slipped in shock, but Callum braced his feet hard and held on tight.

Then Claudia threw it, just as the storm grew an eye of calm.

Runaan was already leaping high with his swords in his hands. The fireball landed directly beneath him. Rayla's last sight of her mentor, as the blast struck Callum and forced her hands free of his, was of Runaan's tumbling, silent figure flying back over the outer wall of the castle and vanishing into the fury of the storm.

Was he coming to save me, or to kill me? she wondered as she fell too, engulfed by the same winds that took him. She closed her eyes, expecting to meet her fate, but a fluffy and overstuffed cart of hay had other ideas and Rayla flopped safely down into the courtyard.

Her first instinct was to jump up and go find Runaan. But then she remembered: his side of the castle roof had a much farther drop. She'd finished climbing it herself not an hour ago. And with all those rocks dotting the river, she couldn't imagine how he'd survive such a fall.

"Oh no... Ethari, I'm so sorry," she murmured brokenly.

But the storm was only growing stronger, and the rainbow lightning up on the roof grew brighter and brighter. Rayla stared in awe and amazement. Was the egg... hatching?

A newborn dragonling would need more protection than an egg. She scrambled out of the hay and darted through the wind, trying to find her way back up. Before she could, though, the storm wore itself out, and she ran into Callum, Ezran, and Bait as they bolted down a curving flight of stairs.

Rayla whipped out her swords. "Where's the dark mage?" she demanded.

"She ran to find her dad," Ezran said.

"Yeah, , but after she got giant heart eyes and squeed over the baby dragon," Callum added, looking starry-eyed in a conflicted way.

"The wot?" Rayla asked.

"Look!" Ezran opened his coat and showed her a cuddly, fluffy dragonling nestled quietly against his chest.

Bait grumbled, but Rayla gasped in delight and held the dragon's little face. "Oh, he's just so cute! Why is he allowed to be so cute?" she demanded playfully.

"His name is Zym," Ezran said.

"Hello, Zym," Rayla said quietly, ruffling his soft fluff. The dragonling sniffed at her hand and licked it, and then he nipped at her binding ribbon, pulling it off. Rayla stared at it in shock, allowing Zym the opportunity to nibble off the other ribbon, too. "Huh," Rayla mused. "Guess these things were just decorative after all."

They ran to the bottom of the stairs and began to hurry toward the main gate. "But what about Dad?" Ezran asked, looking worriedly at the uneven towers.

"He'll be alright," Callum said. "He has the finest guards in the kingdom defending him."

"Yeah, of course!" Ezran piped up.

Without Runaan, the others won't stand much chance, Rayla thought angstily. They'll soon fall too, if they haven't already-

"Rayla, uh..." Callum gingerly touched something stuck in the back of Rayla's hoodie. "You've got something on your back. Ez, go hide for just a second, okay? I need to help Rayla with something."

"...Okay, but hurry," Ezran whispered, as he darted into a shadowy tunnel. "Bait, no glowing, he didn't mean that kind of hiding."

"It's an arrow," Callum murmured to her, once Ez was out of earshot. "Is it, um, does it hurt? I didn't want him to have to see any blood or anything..."

The arrow. Rayla straightened her shoulders to see if she'd actually been hit. "I think it just missed me," she said lightly, not wanting to think about what would've happened if it had pierced even one more layer of clothing and scratched her skin with its deadly poison.

Callum tugged it out of the cloth and awkwardly offered it to her. Rayla took it and stared for a moment. The arrow's shaft had broken when she fell, and it dangled like a felled bird in her grip.

Runaan. He'd fallen, too. Probably permanently. Rayla's shoulders slumped, and she added, "I... We need to hurry. They'll be comin' for us soon, and it's a long journey to Xadia."

"Rayla!" It was Callisto, perched overhead in full Moonshadow form. "Where's- It's done?" he blurted, interrupting himself. His eyes locked onto Rayla's wrists.

A clamor of guards ahead drew his attention, and he leaped toward them, staff at the ready. Rayla grabbed Callum by the arm and ran, snagging Ezran's sleeve a dozen steps later. "Don't look back," she hissed, shifting into full Moonshadow form mid-stride. They didn't need to know she was only talking to herself.

In a few minutes, they reached the forest. Its cool shadows swallowed them whole, and they ran all night. There was no reason to wait anymore.

***

Runaan woke to gentle hands pulling him from the water. He coughed himself awake and sat up slowly, holding his head. When his focus returned, he shot an alarmed glance at the sky and saw that the Moon had nearly set. "We must hurry-" he began, trying to stand.

Four sets of hands pressed him back onto the grass.

"Easy, Runaan," Callisto said. "It's done. It's over. We can go home."

With wide-eyed disbelief, Runaan checked Callisto's wrists, then Andromeda's. Then Ram's and Skor's, too. Their binding ribbons were indeed gone.

A strange sort of lightness flitted through Runaan's chest, heady, intoxicating, and refreshing, erasing his injuries--or his perception of them, at least. His reward for a job well done. The ribbons around his biceps loosened and turned red before drifting to the grass as softly as newly fallen leaves.

Runaan reached back for his shadowhawk arrow and found his quiver gone. No... Ethari's arrow! He scanned his squad's expressions hopefully.

"Sorry. We couldn't find it. But we did find your bowblade," Skor said, offering it.

Runaan took it gratefully, feeling a bit of calm returning along with the familiar weight in his hands.

"We did it. We actually did it," Andromeda said as she got to her feet. Her smile beamed like the Moon. "I can't wait to get home."

"Unless Runaan needs a moment first," Callisto said mildly.

"No, we should leave now, and we should hurry," Runaan said. "Without the shadowhawk, the Queen of the Dragons will be waiting on my personal word. I should not keep her, not in her condition." The rest of his team stood immediately, and he took the hand Callisto offered and stood with focused effort. "We only need to make one stop along the way."

But the rock he'd parked Rayla on was empty. And so were the next dozen rocks. "You're certain you saw her?" he said, clasping Calisto by the shoulders, turquoise gaze boring into his eyes.

"Aye, clear as moonlight," he replied. "But only for a moment. And..."

"What?"

"The human with her pulled your... a-an arrow... from..." Callisto looked aside awkwardly.

"If she took even a scratch..." Andromeda breathed.

"Shh," Skor hushed her.

The assassins went quiet, waiting respectfully.

Runaan's eyes widened. He thought he'd struck true when Rayla stepped into the path of his arrow. Then he thought he'd missed, when she survived long enough to cling to the parapet and call his name. Then he thought the explosion had taken her. Then, hope again, only to have it ripped away one final time. He knew how terribly deadly his chosen poison was. His face froze in a mask of pain, and he shut his eyes. He felt like he was falling from the parapet again, except this time, there wouldn't be any merciful oblivion to put him out of his misery at the bottom. There'd never be a bottom to this fall from grace.

Ethari gave me one job. And I failed him. Does he know yet? Did he watch her flower sink?

Runaan gulped and gritted his teeth. Mourning would have to wait with all his other feelings. He still had a job to do.

He stood straight, gripping his bowblade, and met everyone's eyes, one by one. "We run for home. Ethari can make me a new arrow there. Move out."

They flowed into motion, and Runaan let them take the lead. It was only logical to track and follow the other elves, he reasoned, since he was having such trouble seeing the forest clearly through the tears in his eyes.

[crossedxpaths]

          CROSSEDXPATHS BLOG MASTERLIST

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Current Muses

Primary Muses; Jack Frost (Rise Of The Guardians), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (How To Train Your Dragon), Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls), Princess Belle (Beauty And The Beast), Emma Overland (Rise Of The Guardians), Queen Anna Of Arendelle (Frozen), High Mage Prince Callum (The Dragon Prince), Hiro Hamada (Big Hero 6).

Secondary Muses; Sans The Skeleton (Undertale/Deltarune), Dick Grayson/Nightwing (Young Justice), Lance McClain (Voltron: Legendary Defender), Raimundo Pedrosa (Xiaolin Showdown), Dolores Madrigal (Encanto), Six (Little Nightmares), Mirabel Madrigal (Encanto), Antonio Madrigal (Encanto), Julieta Madrigal (Encanto), Luisa Madrigal (Encanto).

Guest Muses; Alec Sebastian Overland (OC; Jack and Emma’s Father in their BNHA Verses), Mary Katherine Overland (OC; Jack and Emma’s Mother in their BNHA Verses)

Important Note

            My name is Aly, I’m 32 years old and female, using she/her pronouns. I just want to make a note of how I may be a bit slow in replying to things like asks and whatnot. I work and sometimes my attention tends to wander off to other things. I play a lot of video games and can be lost to them for hours on end. I’m trying my best to not get overly distracted but please understand.

            Not only that, but I run other blogs and I hop onto them every now and then when these muses are somewhat lacking or another muse has opted to wake up and push them away for a bit that aren’t on this blog.  

                    WILL ADD TO THIS WHENEVER NECESSARY

[oldcombustiibles]

BROTHERHOOD INITIATION @c23tasks, ft. @musas-muse

“so all i have to do is steal the file?” ciarán asked, turning his head to look at sela, waiting for her response before he spoke again. “if anyone asks, i’ll say you’re a client,” he paused to look over the female, “we’ll say you’re here about making out a will,” he added, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to provide more of a background. 

he was definitely nervous. which wasn’t going to help. he was a lawyer, he brought files home all the time. but those files usually had something to do with one of his cases. no one cared if he took them home. but someone would surely notice if the macleod file went missing. and when it didn’t turn up, they’d check the security cameras. and ciarán doubted he’d be able to explain why he took it.

so that left making a copy of the file and smuggling it out of the office. a task that wouldn’t be easy, especially not with his brotherhood babysitter. but he thought he’d reached a solution by having sela pose as a client. a meeting with a prospective client would be a perfect excuse for being in the office so late. and sela could act as a look out while he copied the file. 

“just follow my lead,” he instructed, casting a brief glance at sela before returning his focus to the elevator doors in front of them. it was perfectly normal for him to meet a client in the lobby, so no one would expect anything as they stepped off the elevator. and with the late hour, the receptionist would be long gone.

his assumptions were confirmed as the elevator doors opened to reveal the empty lobby of o’connell law. he managed to stop short of smiling, instead motioning for sela to follow him as he turned down the hallway. he opted to leave the lights off, instead allowing the soft glow of the emergency exit signs and his familiarity with the layout to guide his way towards his brother’s office. 

it hadn’t occurred to him until that exact moment that he should’ve checked callum’s calendar, but it was too late for that now. he doubted his brother would be there that late anyways, he’d never been particularly dedicated to the trade. not like ciarán.

he was anticipating having to look for the file, but he was pleasantly surprised to find the file sitting in the middle of the desk. it was almost too easy. though, he knew better than to let his guard down. 

“you can sit down if you want,” he didn’t bother to look at sela, trusting that she’d followed him into the office. “it’ll take me a while to find what i need,” annoyance slipped into his tone as he took a seat behind the desk, flipping through the pages of the file. 

he didn’t need to copy the entire file, just the information about macleod’s testimony, and most important, where he was being kept in protective custody. and then he’d hand it off to sela, and everything would be over.

okay, it wouldn’t be over. but for the time being he’d be able to breathe. though there was no telling how long that’d last. so for the time being he would just focus on the task at hand. 

he couldn’t help but wonder how familiar sela was with the mission, but again he didn’t ask. the brotherhood had told him everything he needed to know, he was sure of that much.

he spent the next half hour thumbing through the file, carefully placing sticky notes on the pages containing any pertinent information. from there he carefully took the file apart, making trips back and forth to the xerox machine. this was perhaps the riskiest part of the whole mission, if anyone were to see what was on the papers he’d be forced to think on the fly. 

he was just about to finish with the last set of papers when he heard a door open, thinking fast he slammed the lid of the machine shut as he spun around to face the other person. 

he could feel the pit forming in his stomach, the sweat starting to form on his brow as he resisted the urge to throw up. he’d never had a problem with lying before- what was different now? was it that he knew this was wrong? his thoughts were interrupted by the person speaking.

“sorry mr. o’connell, didn’t realize anyone was here,” the words of the night janitor were enough to help ciarán refocus, blinking rapidly as he focused his vision. “it’s alright,” he responded, clearly annoyed. 

he didn’t speak again, nor did he return to his task until he was certain the janitor had moved on to the next office. he quickly snatched the original papers, and then the copies from the tray, careful not to mix the two before he hurried back to the office. he nudged the door shut with his foot. 

he didn’t look at sela as he returned to his seat behind the desk - he was focused on leaving the file exactly as he found it. callum might not have been as dedicated to his craft, but all o’connell’s were perfectionists - he would know if the file had been tampered with.

an eternity seemed to pass before ciarán looked up again, “it’s done,” he spoke, his voice cracking as he slowly stood up. carefully tucking the duplicated file under his arm as he waited for sela to stand. 

they were able to make a swift exit, out of the office and into the elevator without any interruptions. they rode in silence, in fact, they didn’t exchange a single word until they were outside of the building. and even then, it wouldn’t be until he was laying awake that ciarán would realize sela hadn’t spoke a single word.

he waited until they were half way down the block before coming to a halt, he didn’t bother to check their surroundings, instead he shoved the file into sela’s arms, and uttered a single “here,” before turning and walking off into the night.